Trump acknowledges calling Netanyahu 'crazy' and says Israel is complicating peace talks with Iran
BEIRUT (AP) — President Donald Trump acknowledged criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “crazy” in a phone call that involved expletives. Trump discussed the tension between the two leaders in an interview released Wednesday. He said he was “a little bit perturbed” that Israel’s fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon was holding back peace talks with Iran. But the president insisted that his relationship with Netanyahu was solid and that they connected, in part, because they are both wartime leaders. The interview with The New York Post’s “Pod Force One” offered a sign of the growing pressure Trump faces to resolve the Iran war.
House approves war powers resolution to halt military action against Iran, in a rebuke of Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House for the first time has approved a war powers resolution that would halt the U.S. military action against Iran. Wednesday's action defied President Donald Trump as a handful of Republicans joined with Democrats to end the three-month-long war. House Speaker Mike Johnson had tried to prevent an outcome that would show the mounting opposition to the war. But displeasure has only grown as the conflict drags on. The roll call Wednesday was 215-208, but next steps are uncertain. Trump would likely reject any measure from Congress to limit his authority.
SpaceX's IPO is set to be the biggest ever and could make Elon Musk a trillionaire
NEW YORK (AP) — SpaceX says it plans to raise up to $75 billion when it goes public this month, setting the stage for the largest-ever stock market debut and putting Elon Musk on course to becoming the world’s first trillionaire. The company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., said Wednesday it will sell 555.6 million shares at $135 each in an initial public offering. The offering would give SpaceX a market value of $1.77 trillion. Only six companies in the S&P 500 are currently worth more. The estimated proceeds from the SpaceX IPO would easily top the $26 billion raised by oil giant Saudi Aramco in 2019.
Senate begins voting on funding immigration enforcement after Trump's settlement fund is dropped
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led Senate is moving forward with legislation to fund immigration enforcement agencies after forcing the White House to drop its settlement fund for political allies and stripping a separate proposal for White House security from the bill. The Senate voted 53-46 on Wednesday to begin debate on the roughly $70 billion bill to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. The legislation was delayed for weeks as Republican senators navigated the various obstacles to passage created by President Donald Trump and the White House, but they are now moving quickly to pass it after paring it back to its original form.
President Trump says he will nominate Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he will nominate Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general, tapping his former personal attorney who has aggressively pursued the Republican president’s agenda while leading the Justice Department in an acting role. Blanche sought quickly to position himself as the favorite for the permanent job after Pam Bondi’s firing in April, accelerating investigations into Trump foes and announcing a nearly $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate the president’s allies for alleged political persecution. The proposed fund created a bipartisan firestorm that forced the Justice Department to scrap the idea earlier this week in an extraordinary about-face.
Republicans won the redistricting battle. Now voters will decide whether they win Congress
Republicans have won a partisan redistricting battle for Congress. The GOP could gain about 10 U.S. House seats in the upcoming November elections if the new voting districts perform as intended. The question is whether that will be enough for the GOP to maintain a majority in Congress. Democrats need only a few seats to take control. Political trends and historical patterns favor Democrats. President Trump's approval ratings are negative, and the incumbent's party has lost House seats in every midterm election over the past two decades.
Takeaways from primaries featuring Spencer Pratt, a missing congressman and a rare Trump setback
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate race in Iowa is one of the most closely watched this year and the general election matchup is now set, with Democrats hoping for a gain. Iowa is also where President Donald Trump’s endorsement streak ended when his pick for governor lost in the Republican primary on Tuesday. Democrats have settled on a nominee in a New Jersey congressional district that could decide which party controls the House after November’s elections. But much of the focus on this round of voting has been on California, in races for governor and Los Angeles mayor. Primary elections were also held in Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota.
Suspect who took 10 people hostage in California standoff has been shot and killed, police say
Police say a man held 10 people hostage inside a California office building before the FBI shot and killed him, bringing a more than 15-hour standoff to an end. The Bakersfield Police Department says the hostages were found unharmed early Wednesday inside the downtown Bakersfield building that houses a bank and a school district office. The standoff began Tuesday afternoon when officers responded to a call of a bomb threat. Authorities say the suspect was an Army veteran who was dishonorably discharged, had a history of trouble with law enforcement and was a registered sex offender.
Attitudes toward same-sex marriage and transgender issues are shifting, Gallup poll shows
A new Gallup poll finds support for same-sex marriage and relationships in the U.S. has stopped rising after two decades. About two-thirds of U.S. adults believe same-sex marriage should be legal, according to the poll, down slightly from 71% in 2022 and 2023. Most of the change is driven by Republicans. The views of Democrats and independents on the topic have remained mostly stable. A 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision led to nationwide recognition of same-sex marriage. Conservative lawmakers in some states have called for that ruling to be overturned, something the court has so far rejected considering. The poll also found a shift in views of transgender issues.
Shia LaBeouf gets probation after pleading guilty to punching bargoers during Mardi Gras
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Shia LaBeouf has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to punching people outside a New Orleans bar during Mardi Gras. An attorney for LaBeouf says the actor will also be required to attend an alcohol treatment program under the sentence handed down Wednesday by an Orleans Parish judge. Video of the Feb. 17 encounter shows a shirtless LaBeouf shoving one person to the ground and hitting another person in the face, “causing his nose to possibly dislocate,” according to a New Orleans police report. Police also said LaBeouf repeatedly used homophobic slurs. He pleaded guilty to three counts of simple battery.
